An hybrid experimental/numerical method to assess the lethality of a kinetic energy non-lethal weapon system

Assessing the lethality of Kinetic Energy Non-lethal Weapons (KENLW) is very complicated because of the wide variety of projectiles currently in use, as well as the complexity that characterises the interaction between the projectile and the human body. This article describes and applies injury criteria found in the literature to perform a lethality assessment of a 40mm Nobel Sport sponge grenade. The selected criteria are the viscous criterion (VC)_max for the thorax, the Energy Density for the skin penetration assessment, and a dispersion criterion to avoid head impact. These criteria are evaluated thanks to a hybrid experimental-numerical approach, and are computed for different velocities of the projectile, corresponding in real life to different distances of engagement. The final results consist of the determined allowable distances of engagement corresponding to a specified risk of lethality. The method is applicable to any KENLW, requiring two experimental tests and numerical simulations.